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Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a rally with supporters in San Diego, California, U.S. May 27, 2016Credit:
JONATHAN ERNST

Is Donald Trump moving his tanks onto Hillary Clinton’s lawn? Over the past week, the Republicans’ presumptive nominee has first tried to move in on disenchanted Bernie Sanders supporters and, after the Orlando tragedy, the LGBT community.

Given that polls are showing that Mr Trump is likely to win more black votes than any Republican presidential candidate since 1960, there are signs that his campaign strategists believe there are votes to be won from traditional Democrat strongholds.

On Monday Mr Trump scrapped a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and rewrote a speech he was planning to deliver in Nashua. The demand for action to tackle radical Islam was predictable, but some of the other language was in its own way remarkable as he made his pitch for the LGBT vote.

Clinton wants to allow radical Islamic terrorists to pour into our country. They enslave women and murder gays. I don’t want them in our countryDonald Trump

“The burden is on Hillary Clinton to tell us why we should admit anyone into our country who supports violence of any kind on gay and lesbian Americans," he said. "Ask yourself who is really the friend of women and the LGBT community: Donald Trump with actions or Hillary Clinton with her words?

"Clinton wants to allow radical Islamic terrorists to pour into our country. They enslave women and murder gays. I don’t want them in our country.”

The reaction to his remarks has been mixed, with some gay activists accusing Mr Trump of cynical opportunism in his response to Orlando. “At a time like this no person in America, regardless of their political beliefs, should be using a moment like this for their political ambitions and political desires,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest LGBT lobby group. “He is no friend to the LGBT community, he is no friend.”

Stuart Gaffney, spokesman for Marriage Equality USA, was equally scathing: “Our lives are not footballs to be tossed around in an election campaign. The only response to tragedy is to stand united as one, not building walls that only serve to divide and alienate us from one another.”

But others have taken a different view, believing his defence of fundamental “Christian values” in earlier stages of the campaign was less than sincere. Jack Hunter, editor of Rare Politics, believed that the remarks in Nashua reflected the real Donald Trump: “He is a New Yorker, I don’t think he has been anti-gay in any way. What you see with these New York Republicans is they are only anti gay marriage when they are running in primaries.”

Whichever view one takes, the harsh mathematics suggest there is some cold hard logic in making a push for the LGBT vote. According to one estimate, there are nine million LGBT people in America and 650,000 same sex couples. The message appears to be getting through, according to one anonymous blogger. “Trump is a motormouth buffoon. You don't have to convince me of that. But he's also the only person saying anything about putting the brakes on Islamic extremism," he wrote. "And in light of what happened last night in Orlando, suddenly that is the only issue that really matters when it comes to the health, well-being and safety of the queer community.”

With the latest polls showing Hillary Clinton’s lead over Mr Trump is three per cent, detaching some of her traditional support makes sound – albeit cynical – political sense. The same logic seems to be applying to his plea to blue collar Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders. Throughout the campaign, Mr Trump has spared the Vermont senator the vitriol he has showered on just about everyone else. At times he tried to suggest they were kindred spirits, both taking on the political corrupt establishment and the trade deals which have seen working class jobs shipped to countries like Mexico where wage rates are lower.

“Blacks are tired of remaining in the poor house, hoping on the political-economy rhetoric."Oliver McGee

Oliver McGee, who served as Bill Clinton’s science and transport adviser, had little doubt why. “Blacks are tired of remaining in the poor house, hoping on the political-economy rhetoric. That doesn’t change blacks’ bank accounts nor quality of life. It’s more about economic interests than civil rights nowadays.”